Travel Trade Monthly August 2012

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AUGUST 2012

ISSUE 34

EXPLORE: PALESTINE By intensifying its promotional activities, Palestine is polishing its image on the international scene to prove that the country is developing into a land of tourism.

Encouragingly, visitors are quickly returning to Tunisia this year, following the country’s political upheaval in 2010 which saw a dramatic drop in tourism figures trickle into and spread throughout 2011.

09 INVESTIGATION: TRAVEL BOOKINGS Online travel agencies are rapidly becoming popular while a large percentage of travellers still prefer to book somewhat safer, through traditional travel agents.

13 IN THIS ISSUE MARKET UPDATE EXCLUSIVE: Solo Travel VISIT: Tunisia EXPLORE: Palestine INVESTIGATION: Travel Bookings TOUR: Switzerland LONG-HAUL: Indian Ocean TRAVEL TALK TRAVEL CHANNELS ONSITE: China WHO'S MOVED RENDEZVOUS NEWS & EVENTS

02 04 06 09 13 15 18 23 24 25 26 27 28

VISIT: Tunisia

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2

MARKET UPDATE

TRAVEL TRADE WEEKLY MANAGING EDITOR Mary Kammitsi mary@traveltradeweekly.travel JOURNALISTS Stefanie Saghbini Rita Kasziba Dominique Christou

Jazeera Airways: Leading the Way Jazeera Airways continued to attain leading market share on a number of routes it serves, based on the Kuwaiti airline’s second quarterly (Q2) operational performance report.

SALES & MARKETING Maria Demetriadou Brighite Ess Katerina Dalal DESIGN & LAYOUT Elena Stylianou DIRECTORS Andreas Constantinides Mary Kammitsi HEADQUARTERS T.T.W. Travel Trade Weekly LTD P.O. Box 25255, Nicosia 1308 Cyprus Tel: +357 22 021607, Fax: +357 22 210466 WEBSITE www.traveltradeweekly.travel

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ata compiled by the Kuwait Directorate General for Civil Aviation placed the lowcost carrier as the leading airline between Kuwait and Amman, as well as Kuwait and the Egyptian cities of Alexandria, Sharm el Sheikh, Assuit, Sohag, and Luxor.

Jazeera Airways captured a 38 percent market share on the route between Kuwait and the Jordanian capital, 31 percent on the Alexandria route, 60 percent on the Sharm El Sheikh route, 50 percent on the Assiut

route, 38 percent on the Sohag route, and 71 percent on the Luxor route.

The airline also increased its market share on the Kuwait-Cairo route to 27 percent, and proved to be the leading Kuwaiti airline between the country and Beirut (32 percent), Bahrain (13 percent), and Dubai (16 percent).

In addition, Jazeera Airways ranked the highest in on-time performance (OTP) in the Middle East, as measured by Flightstats, the US-based global OTP tracker.

EMAILS info@traveltradeweekly.travel sales@traveltradeweekly.travel editorial@traveltradeweekly.travel PRINTED IN CYPRUS Cyprint Plc P.O. Box 58300, CY-3732, Limassol, Cyprus Tel: +357 25 720035, Fax: +357 25 720123 Email: info@cyprint.com.cy

MENA EXCHANGE RATES Accurate as of

25/07/2012 Currencies shown in red are fixed against the US Dollar

COUNTRY

CURRENCY

1USD=

UAE (AED)

Dirham

3.67

Egypt (EGP)

Pound

6.07

Saudi Arabia (SAR)

Riyal

3.75

Lebanon (LBP)

Pound

1,505.50

Bahrain (BHD)

Dinar

0.37

Jordan (JOD)

Dinar

0.71

Syria (SYP)

Pound

64.40

Kuwait (KWD)

Dinar

0.28

Qatar (QAR)

Riyal

3.64

Oman (OMR)

Rial

0.38

Tunisia (TND)

Dinar

1.64

Morocco (MAD)

Dirham

9.10

Iran (IRR)

Riyal

12,260.00

Yemen (YER)

Rial

214.61

Algeria (DZD)

Dinar

82.61

Libya (LYD)

Dinar

1.27

Etihad Airways: Revenues Up 31 Percent Etihad Airways closed the second quarter (Q2) of the year with revenues of USD1.25 billion, marking an increase of 31 percent, and contributing to first half (H1) revenues of USD2.24 billion, up 30 percent over the same period in 2011.

With a robust improvement of 34 percent, passenger numbers leapt to 2.55 million in Q2, and to 4.89 million in H1, following significant increases in capacity and seat factors.

The record results were boosted by the airline’s fast growing network of codeshares and strategic partnerships which together added 800,000 passengers and USD281 million to the H1 figures.

“These results are an endorsement of our strategy, which has seen us widen and deepen our partnerships in addition to continued focus on our organic growth plan,” noted James Hogan, president, Etihad Airways, adding that despite the economic uncertainty, the airline is on track for a successful full-year performance. “This continues to be a tough operating environment for all airlines. Our strategies allow us to drive quality revenue and we remain focused and on track to deliver profitability for the full year, for the second year running.”

AUGUST 2012

4

EXCLUSIVE

Solo Travel

A Trendsetter in Globetrotting  Stefanie Saghbini

writes

U

K travel insurers LV= recently carried out a study focusing on solo travel after noticing that British tourists are increasingly willing to embark on holidays by themselves.

Indeed, the survey has shown that the number of British tourists seeking such trips has doubled, particularly over the past two years. Some 60 percent of the respondents said that they had enjoyed their solo holiday while 10 percent claim it was their best ever trip. Meanwhile, the most popular types of solo trips were city breaks while beach holidays also proved to be very common.

A rapidly escalating number of travellers are choosing to discover the world on their own as they seek to benefit from special savings on selected programmes and offerings while they set out on what may seem to some a relatively daunting experience.

EVERLASTING MEMORIES

DESIRING INTIMATE TRAVEL Maeve Nolan, products and operations director, Backyard Travel, believes that the desire for individual intimate travel has grown dramatically over the past decade and more so in the last few years, highly due to the availability of online travel information.

“People are travelling more than ever and becoming more attune to what they want and how they want to travel, and individually tailored travel is much more desirable than a fixed package one used to expect on a group tour,” Nolan further commented.

Backyard Travel tailor-makes all of the programmes offered to suit individual travellers, with a touch of personal services, as Nolan went on to explain, “We would rather get to know the client and their desires, and not only tailor the programme to suit their travel style but also assign the right guide that would fit their personality. We also recommend cultural experiences which are researched and developed specifically for solo travellers.”

Themed travel, for example culinary-, cultural-, and adventure-type holidays, seems to be a preferred requirement among solo travellers, as Nolan indicated, who also request to visit unique and non-touristy destinations, something strongly advised by the company.

“At Backyard Travel, we also recommend clients to visit the sites, but with a twist or journey to more remote destinations for a more unique cultural experience resulting in a more fulfilling holiday,” she continued.

Overall, Nolan believes that the future of solo travel looks encouraging as an increasing number of individuals are seeing travel as a rites of passage and something that they value highly in their lives.

YOUR HOLIDAY, OUR BUSINESS Along parallel lines, Khshayar Cheraghvand, executive, international marketing, Dornagasht Tour & Travel Agency (Iran Paradise), also predicts a fruitful future for the solo niche segment due to the reduction in expenses on such trips witnessed over the past two years

individual to individual. Being an independent backpacker, it is more about the freedom,” Rebeiro continued, adding that solo travellers usually request excellent value, competitive prices, flexibility, convenience, simple and clean accommodation, activities, and adventure; all of which are offered by dnata. “dnata has a lot of package deals curtailing to each individual, for example budget or luxury holidays, group travels, and mix and match group tours, affordable for youth; even educational trips with a comfortable feel,” she explained. “We promote brands like Gap Adventures, Trafalgar, Contiki; all budget holidays for individual travellers and age is also considered.”

in particular, further revealing that the company’s solo travellers have represented between 30 and 40 percent of the total tours offered.

At Dornagasht Tour & Travel Agency (Iran Paradise), a traveller’s most important request, at first, is a personal suggestion on their own planned trip including city directions and accommodations, according to Cheraghvand, who elaborated, “We usually book hotels and domestic flight tickets for them and advise them on available trains or buses, if they require. They usually prefer to visit the sites themselves, but if they need local guides or a driver for some special sites that are difficult to visit individually, we provide these for them.”

He further advised travellers to study Iranian culture, current special conditions, and governmental rules, such as Hijab or dress code, before visiting the country.

ALL ABOUT FREEDOM Also placing emphasis on the growing solo niche market across the MENA region is Jennifer Rebeiro, senior leisure travel consultant, dnata, who underscored the rising number of youths travelling from the GCC. “Solo travel is taking up a lot of popularity these days, as it is carefree and hustle free, with no attachments being on one’s own, with self at leisure,” she said. ”Budget also can be maintained and again it depends from

“Solo travel has grown worldwide in stature as a trendsetter in globetrotting,” described Ganesh Ullal, director of marketing, Omeir Travel Agency, who attributed its popularity to e-commerce and e-marketing with access to global information on one's fingertips. “Also, most of the countries have realised the importance of tourism as a revenue generator and hence have invested heavily in infrastructure and marketing,” he added.

Famous for organising bespoke leisure packages be it wild safari, hiking, mountaineering, and plenty more, Omeir Travel Agency aims to make the memories of their customers’ trip everlasting, Ullal assured.

“Most of the solo travellers from this region prefer packages which include adventurous sports activities like paragliding, bungee jumping, deep-sea diving, wildlife hunting, and more. They are price conscious and are not fussy about their travel and hotel stay; you can say the easy-going types.”

Ullal further believes that the trend in solo travel across the region will grow, albeit at a slow rate as it is not yet the existing culture in holidaying.

A GROWING TREND Similarly, Samir Hamadeh, general manager, Alpha Tours, also considers solo travel as a segment which is not yet widely popular across Dubai at this stage as it is new to the emirate’s tourism sector. “It is somehow popular among stopover backpackers from long-haul destinations such as South Africa and Australia,” he said.

“Solo travel does, however, have its own advantages as it gives you the freedom to go where you want, when you want, and do what you want, with no group constraints,” Hamadeh expressed, further emphasising the importance of the Internet that comes along with its immediate growth in popularity. “Social media is the best platform to design your solo holiday and at Alpha Tours we do offer some interesting ideas on our ‘Facebook’ page and on ‘Twitter’, which feature some special hotel rates and packages for these travellers,” he concluded.  AUGUST 2012

6

VISIT

Tunisia

NEW-FOUND Freedom Djerba

Traditional Tunisian Spices

TUNISIA IN BRIEF Capital: Tunis Currency: Tunisian Dinar (TND) Language: Arabic

Encouragingly, visitors are quickly returning to Tunisia this year, following the country’s political upheaval in 2010 which saw a dramatic drop in tourism figures trickle into and spread throughout 2011. This year, Tunisia’s tourism sector is carefully and securely paving the way for what looks like a prosperous future ahead.  Stefanie Saghbini

writes

A

ccording to recent statistics revealed by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), tourism arrivals across the entire North African region this year have so far witnessed an increase of 11 percent, thanks to the results of Tunisia which rocketed 48 percent between January and May, over 2011 results.

Taleb Rifai, secretary general, UNWTO, expressed a sense of encouragement in seeing demand return to countries such as Tunisia, among others in the Mediterranean coastal area, which are long-standing tourism destinations ready to fully welcome back the millions of visitors.

The future of Mediterranean tourism was recently discussed on the island of Djerba, Tunisia, at a two-day international conference organised by UNWTO and the Ministry of Tourism, Tunisia. The event welcomed participants, including the ministers of tourism of Algeria and Turkey, as well as Tunisia, to gather and discuss the challenges being faced and the coordinated efforts required. These included the need to expand the Mediterranean’s tourism market share and maximise tourism’s capacity to generate income, create jobs, reduce poverty, and contribute to peace around the region.

Furthermore, Rifai portrayed Tunisia as the ideal setting for the event, given the importance of tourism to its national economy in light of the steady recovery of tourist arrivals, which is excellent news for both the economy and the strengthening of the political processes underway in the country.

AUGUST 2012

Tunisia A recent study carried out by Central Bank of Tunisia (BCT) has shown that the North African country hosted 1,906,382 tourists during the first five months of the current year; equivalent to an increase of some 62,000 more visitors over the same period in 2011.

As a result, tourism revenues reached TND924 million (USD569.4 million), according to BCT’s preliminary figures, compared to TND678.3 million (USD417 million) in the same period of 2011, showing an upward trend of 36.2 percent.

Tunisian National Tourism Board (ONTT) has, however, brought to light the loss incurred as a result of the country’s 2010/2011’s political upheaval with 2010 levels having surpassed this year’s figures by 12.4 percent, proving that there is a lot more room for improvement in order for conditions to bounce back to normal.

DISPLAYING GREAT FAITH Moreover, the authority also indicated that the number of non-resident foreigners who visited Tunisia from January 1 until the end of May increased by 48.4 percent compared with 2011.

Neighbouring Libyans ranked first among tourists who visited the country in the first five months of the year, compared with 389,255 tourists in the same period of 2011. This number is expected to reach some

AUGUST 2012

976,000 by the end of the year, according to forecasts announced by Euromonitor International.

Following in second position are the Algerians; a market which has seen an increase of 58,514 tourists to reach 263,137 during the five-month period. These numbers are set to reach approximately 678,400 by the year’s end, as stated by Euromonitor International.

Tunisia also proved popular among its traditional European market with some 755,000 landing on its shores, rocketing 56.3 percent to result in 265,000 more tourists from the region over the same five months of 2011.

In particular, ONTT figures showed that the French market came in first from the continent with 314,022 visitors travelling to the North African country in the five-month period, up 36.8 percent over 2011 levels.

Meanwhile, German and Italian tourist figures soared 100.7 percent and 53.4 percent respectively.

Tourism from the US also resumed activity in Tunisia, growing by 68.1 percent to reach 12,366 tourists, compared to 7,356 tourists in 2011. Moreover, the number of Japanese tourists rocketed by 184.4 percent over the five-month stretch in 2011, reaching 3,357 tourists from a mere 1,170, according to ONTT figures.

Conversely though, the Middle Eastern market showed a decline of 8.1 percent in the first five months of the year, compared with the same period of 2011,

VISIT

7

with the influx of tourists falling from 78,378 to 14,285.

REITERATING IMPORTANT RELATIONS The UK has proven to be one of Tunisia’s most resilient markets, this according to Wahida Jaiet, director, Tunisian National Tourist Office (TNTO), UK & Ireland.

In May alone this year, the British represented a 56.5 percent increase as 31,095 visitors from the UK landed in Tunisia, ascending 34 percent over the same month in 2011. Irish visitation results were also up 83 percent.

“I am delighted to see visitors returning to Tunisia in such numbers,” Jaiet said. “The Irish market has also displayed great faith in the destination and I am confident that the UK and Irish markets will continue to grow.”

This blossoming market can be attributed to the TNTO’s three-month UK advertising campaign, which took place between April and June this year, across the country’s public transport.

Designed by London-based agency Fox Kalomaski Crossing, the project highlighted the fact that after the 12-month period which comprised a revolution and a newly-elected government, the road towards democracy seemed somewhat perceptible, thus offering the Mediterranean country more to celebrate.

Under this new campaign, which aimed to 

8

VISIT

encourage consumers to rediscover the destination located a mere two and a half hours from the UK, Tunisia’s unique selling points, including ancient archaeology and white-sand beaches, were splashed across bus sides and the national rail as well as in print and online media. “We all know tourism in Tunisia took a hit following the Jasmine Revolution, but British visitors have been quick to return and the UK is now our third most important market,” said Jaiet.

More recently, Tunisia and Italy have set out on a shared path by signing a joint agreement in June this year, enabling tourism to become an important driving force in economic recovery, according to Pietro Gnudi, minister of tourism and sport, Italy, and Elyes Fakhfakh, minister of tourism, Tunisia.

Covering the 2012-2014 period, the statement confirmed the vision Italy and Tunisia share on the significance of the tourism especially in light of the given predictions that the next 10 years will witness a doubling in figures, as was seen over the past decade.

Tunisia formula with a capacity of 475 rooms and suites, and another, Yadis Oasis Tozeur, which will be nestled within a historical monument, boasting 145 guestrooms.

According to Karim Kamoun, strategy development coordinator, Yadis Hotels, occupancy rates across operational Yadis Hotels properties increased by 10 percent between the summer season of 2011 and November, following a weak start to the year as a result of the situation that ripped through the country in 2010. The largest market share for Yadis Hotels across Tunisia came from France, Germany, and Belgium, as Kamoun revealed, while Yadis Ksar Ghilane Luxury camp, popular with guests seeking quality of services embraced with an authentic experience, attracted mostly regional markets as well as guests from Japan, Spain, UK, France, alongside many others.

SOURCE OF PRIDE Tunisia has also been joining forces with Qatar for the anticipated five-star Tozeur Desert Resort, located in the southwest of the country, slated for opening this year.

Being developed by Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company, the new establishment will comprise a range of independent luxury suites.

A special event for this grand development, which took place on July 17, saw the presence of H.H. Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, crown prince and apparent heir of Qatar, alongside Hammadi Jebali, prime minister, Tunisia, who described the project as a source of pride which stands as proof of the strong relations between Tunisia and Qatar. “The project will not only create jobs for our country’s youth, during construction and upon completion, but it will also add a new dynamic to the region’s desert tourism.”

Similarly, Mohammed bin Ali Al-Hedfa, CEO, Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company, who thanked both authoritative figures for gracing the ceremony for the company’s first development in the country, commented, “The Tozeur Desert Resort is aimed at supporting the Republic of Tunisia and its development ambitions following the revolution by providing employment opportunities to the country’s youth. More than a mere real estate project, the Tozeur Resort is one of Qatari Diar’s landmark developments providing a model for sustainable living in more than 29 countries around the world.

BUILDING ON SOLID GROUNDS The country is certainly paving the way as it sweeps the pieces to clear the ground for more hotels and developments upcoming set to cater to the ever-growing number of tourists expected in the coming years.

Yadis Hotels is marching ahead with plans to open two new properties by the end of the year, one of which is Yadis Imperial Beach & Spa; an all-inclusive

Now is a great time to visit Tunisia as the country enjoys new-found freedom and optimism Another international hotel group marking its territory in the burgeoning destination is Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts with the upcoming re-launch of two newly-refurbished properties in 2013. An architecturally low-rise hotel is expected to re-open on the desert oasis of Tozeur while the 255-key Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts establishment will resume operations on the white-beach island of Djerba.

In addition, Le Royal Hotels & Resorts – Hammamet recently refurbished and renovated all of its guestrooms and as Anis Suissi, sales director, Le Royal Hotels & Resorts – Hammamet, informed, has been witnessing good results so far this year even exceeding the budget and results of 2010 on all levels including average room rate, occupancy, and turnover. “Our most important guests for the year 2011 are the Tunisians (local market), Russians, French, and the Germans. If we speak about niche markets, (we attract) leisure travel agents and tour operators, government officials, and MICE,” he said.

Furthermore, Suissi described the hotel as one which satisfies all kinds of segments depending on the period and customers. “For example, during mid and low season we are targeting the MICE segment and we are one of the best hotels, a leader, in congress and event organisation,” he explained. “During

the high season, we change vision and focus on the leisure segment through travel agencies, tour operators, global distribution systems, and not forgetting the individual clients.”

PROSPEROUSLY EVOLVING Latest figures at Tunisair, released in March, have further revealed favourable evolution in the airline’s global activity which also showed clear improvements of 44 percent over traffic results during the same month in 2011; equivalent to a rise in passenger volumes of 255,382.

The French market proved to be the strongest among the Europeans, increasing 23.9 percent over 2011’s figures to reach 102,422 passengers.

In addition, Tunisair’s subsidiary, Tunisair Express, recently launched a new regular two-weekly air service between Sfax and Benghazi, as well as having increased flights to Tripoli to six and to Misrata to two, with the aim to widen the scope of social-economic opportunities between the two regions, as directorgeneral, Hatem Motemri, explained. “Consolidation of our presence in Libya is aimed to meet the needs of the market and reflects the importance Tunisair Express lends to regional development to serve the Tunisia economy and tourism,” he said.

As Tunisia’s air travel segment regains ground, Nouvelair Tunisie, which operates charter services from European cities to Tunisian holiday resorts with its main bases at Monastir International Airport, Tunis-Carthage International Airport, and Djerba-Zarzis Airport, also recently embarked on development across its route destination network with the recent launch of scheduled flights between Saint Petersburg, Russia, and Enfidha, north-east Tunisia, as well as the capital Tunis and Toulon, France.

LEADING THE WAY “We, in Tunsia, have a rich history and it is our objective to advance the promotion of our cultural assets as a means to diversify our tourism offer and bring our people closer to the sector,” commented Elyas Fakhfakh, minister of tourism, Tunsia, prior to the UNWTO conference held in Djerba. “Tunisia has decided its leadership and, with the determination of its youth, has embarked on a new, dynamic future in which tourism is clearly a sector vital for growth.

Jaiet could not agree more, as she drew attention to the sandy beaches and thousand-year-old history that has been attracting visitors to Tunisia for many years. “But add to that the fascinating recent history and a renewed sense of optimism that you cannot help but share, and there really is more to celebrate in Tunisia than ever before,” he said.

“Now is a great time to visit Tunisia as the country enjoys new-found freedom and optimism. From high-end luxury hotels and thalassotherapy centre to great value family resort and fantastic cultural attractions, there is plenty to bring visitors back to Tunisia again and again.”  AUGUST 2012

EXPLORE

Palestine

9

Rediscovering the Holy Land Monastery

By intensifying its marketing and promotional activities, Palestine is polishing its image on the international scene to prove that the land of prophets is developing into the land of tourism ready to compete with its regional peers and establish itself as an attractive destination.

PALESTINE IN BRIEF Administrative Centres: Ramallah, Gaza Accepted Currencies: US Dollar (USD), Jordanian Dinar (JOD)

Jerusalem

 Rita Kasziba writes

T

ourism has long been the most effective instrument in showcasing Palestine’s cultural wealth and compelling history to the world, and so, over the past decade, Palestinians have engaged in a range of initiatives aimed at changing the false impression of the land, which have certainly paid rich returns, with gradual improvements of overnight stays amounting to over 1.55 million.

“Despite the unstable political situation in most of the neighbouring countries and the global economic crisis that affected our traditional tourism markets such as Greece, Italy, and Spain, 2011 witnessed a five percent increase in visitors arrivals and 12 percent growth in overnight stays,” explained Majed Ishaq, director general, marketing department, Ministry of Tourism, Palestine, adding that Russia (300,000), the US (130,000), Italy (115,000), Poland (115,000), Germany (80,000), and Spain (60,000) earned a spot among the country’s most significant source markets.

ROAD TO RECOVERY In fact, following the setback in 2000, a renewed worldwide interest in the Holy Land has further fostered the recovery of the industry as a whole and the hotel sector in particular.

“Palestine has seen an increase in the number of international visitors beyond the traditional tourist markets,” noted Duha Bandak, general manager, Grand Hotel Bethlehem.

Riad Hammad, general manager, Jericho Village Resort, added, “Performance levels have constantly exceeded our expectation so far this year, or I would say since the second half of 2011.”

Still, hoteliers are faced with the day-to-day challenges of adapting to the shifting patterns of demand and the changing market conditions.

“For our hotel, the past 12 months have been very challenging,” admitted Daniel Hanna, general manager, Royal Court Suites Hotel, Ramallah, explaining that the situation has strongly affected performance levels at the boutique business oriented property, which mainly caters to American and European consultants working  AUGUST 2012

Language: Arabic

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EXPLORE

Palestine

in different fields on foreign governmental aid projects.

Bandak added, “In cities such as Ramallah and Hebron, business people, development workers, and diplomats are arriving in growing numbers. More visitors, be they on holiday or business, as well as pilgrims, results in higher demand for more and better hotels,” she explained, adding that this demand is now being met with the rapidly expanding and diversifying industry.

As a result of the growing interest, over the past two years a number of new hotels have emerged in Ramallah, the administrative capital of West Bank, Hanna explained, adding that the oversupply has spawned new challenges for hoteliers. “The main challenge of the past one year came after markets continued to drop, foreign aid shrank, and therefore demand for room nights dropped. Hotels started scrambling for business and struggling to keep their loyal clients.”

“Our clientele is a diverse base of business men and women, both local and international governmental workers, non-governmental organisations, and various representative officers. To best cater to their needs, the hotel offers a number of different packages,” Albina said, further noting that the hotel’s outlets have also fast become preferred venues for various private and corporate events, and bustling hotspots of the city’s leisure and entertainment scene.

“Demonstrating Ramallah’s character, you will usually see guests enjoying their coffee or lunch in our lobby and restaurants with papers and files next to them,” Albina continued, affirming that the hotel constantly strives to exceed guests’ expectations, and besides the already popular restaurants and bars, it has recently opened a new terrace.

As a matter of fact, MICE business has emerged as a substantially high component of growth and

Dome of the Rock

Bandak concurred by saying that since the year 1999 until today, the hotel industry has been facing upward and downward trends. “However, the upward trend continued in 2010 and 2011, but at a much slower and perhaps more realistic rate,” emphasised Bandak. “Today, as a result of the unprecedented growth and diversification in the hotel sector over the last years, the number of guests is still increasing seasonally, but at a more moderate pace than the number of hotel rooms. So although the numbers of guests are up, occupancy rates are down.”

BUSINESS AND RELIGION Located in the burgeoning business area of one of the most vibrant cities of the West Bank, the only fivestar hotel in Ramallah has, over the past one and half years, established itself as one of the most prestigious addresses in Palestine.

“Since opening in November 2010, the hotel has enjoyed continuously high occupancy rates,” said Maureen Albina, communications manager, Mövenpick Hotel Ramallah, adding that with the economy gradually improving, more and more businessmen arrive to Palestine to explore opportunities.

Our strategy for the coming five to 10 years is to have Palestine successfully compete and get its share of regional tourism arrivals

Jericho Village Resort enjoys a fair share of this niche segment. “We have hosted a number of events and meetings, held by local as well as international organisations, such as non-governmental agencies and smaller or bigger businesses,” explained Hammad.

DRIVEN BY FAITH While Ramallah has long been the focal point of business, diplomatic missions, foreign governments, and aid organisations’ operations, the rest of Palestine mainly relies on leisure and religious tourism, which, despite the turbulent times, remained solid with high demand for the biblical sites, Hanna explained.

In fact, Bethlehem has enjoyed encouraging performance levels, as Mariana Alarja, reservations department, Angel Hotel, revealed. “[The hotel] performed well, and there was a slight increase in the

Cable Cars in Jericho

number of tourists,” she said, adding that Eastern Europe, especially Russia, Poland, and Slovakia, as well as Eastern Asia, India, Indonesia, and the US, contributed the biggest share to the property’s performance levels.

According to Alarja,the average stay at the hotel is two nights, due to Bethlehem usually being included in packages; for example, a tour may be divided between Bethlehem, Tiberias, and Jerusalem.

Ibrahim Giacamam, general manager, Golden Park Resort, Bethlehem, added, “As for our hotel, the main feeder markets are Slovakia, Indonesia, Romania and Russia, and we welcome guests from Italy, France and Greece as well.”

Moreover, Giacamam acknowledged that performance levels have still been hampered by the oversupply of guest rooms, prompting hoteliers to compete in services, quality, and, most importantly, prices, often forcing them to offer lower rates.

Being the cradle of civilisations, religious travel has long been the cornerstone of the Palestinian tourism industry. “More than 85 percent of the international arrivals visit Palestine either as pilgrims or to see and experience the Holy Land,” Ishaq explained, stressing that the ministry has undertaken a string  AUGUST 2012

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Palestine

of initiatives to enhance the product thus increasing Palestine’s competitiveness.

“While religious tourism will remain the backbone of any tourism offer, the ministry together with stakeholders are enhancing the tourism offer through creating experiential programmes and non-traditional itineraries to be able to attract more visitors and encourage them to spend more time and more money in Palestine.

“More importantly, is to showcase Palestine as an independent destination that is not only an integral part of any visit to the Holy Land, but also to the region as a whole,” he further revealed.

The current fleet includes two Fokker 50 aircraft, explained Yasser Irqayeq, commercial director, Palestinian Airlines, who added, “At the moment scheduled flights are being operated between Arish, Egypt, and the Jordanian capital city of Amman every Thursday and Sunday. The average load factor is 58 percent, and we hope that this will increase significantly,” According to Irqayeq, the airline aims to re-launch services to Dubai and Doha as well, and expand its network to 24 destinations within the next two years.

A well-established, profitable airline would be in fact of great benefit to the Palestinian economy,

Market

Hisham palace - Jericho

MOVING FORWARD With hope that the situation will remain stable and that the country's tourism industry will reap rewards as a result, Hammad commented on the various new properties set to become operational over the next year. “The numbers along with the volume of the upcoming developments are encouraging. The intensifying competition should benefit the whole industry.

More hotels, more competitors mean better product, better service, and, hopefully, more visitors. In response to the growing demand, we are developing our resort by adding more rooms and bungalows.”

Further elaborating on the challenges, Ishaq said, “The main obstacle that continues to hinder our efforts to develop a sustainable tourism industry is the occupation. The restrictions on movement and access on both tourists and Palestinian professionals make managing tourist flow and developing themed routes very difficult.” “[Despite the surrounding impediments], in the last year many hotels were upgraded and new hotels under various stages of construction. Recreational parks, resorts, restaurants, cultural centres, and new transportation fleets were all among the key investments over the past five years.

“In fact, the growth in the accommodation sector is a clear indicator of this recovery, investment, and re-investment into the sector. Today, the number of the available rooms in Palestine is 6,837, an increase of 972 rooms in comparison to 2010. In addition, all over Palestine we have around 1,644 rooms under construction.”

In addition, Palestian Airlines, which has long embodied the Palestinian sovereignty, resumed operations earlier this year, after years of being grounded.

Our slogan is 'Palestine …. Rediscover your senses' which focuses on the essence of Palestine: the richness of its offering, the passion of its people, and the spirit of its welcome Irqayeq believes, therefore making the land accessible for all nationalities and attracting investors from all over the world as well as improving infrastructure is pivotal.

REDISCOVERING THE SENSES Defining the main objectives, Ishaq said, “We estimate to have at least 15 percent increase in tourism arrivals and 14 percent in overnights.

“Tourism is one of the most important industries for Palestine,” he added, pointing out that in 2011, total receipts and revenues from tourism reached up to USD865 million, constituting 13.7 percent of the total GDP. “Tourism is becoming a vital resource for developing Palestine’s economy by promoting job creation, eliminating unemployment rates, alleviating poverty

Traditional Dance

and brining foreign investment. Tourism plays an important role in the Palestinian urban and rural community development,” Ishaq concluded.

The ministry is certainly playing an active role in reaching out to the international public and showcasing the hidden treasures of Palestine.

“Promoting destination Palestine continues to be a one of the main duties of the industry. Our slogan is “Palestine …. Rediscover your senses” which focuses on the essence of Palestine: the richness of its offering, the passion of its people, and the spirit of its welcome,” explained Ishaq.

“In 2011, we intensified our marketing and promotional activities locally, regionally, and internationally.

The ministry has produced promotional materials in 10 different languages. Both the ministry and the private sector had hosted in Palestine many high ranking officials, VIP groups, familiarisation trips, and media visits. Another main activity is participation in key international tourism exhibitions and fairs,” he continued.

“In 2011, the ministry took part in more than 15 international shows in traditional markets such as UK, Spain, Germany, Italy, France, Poland, Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, and Brazil, as well as five new fairs in new markets such as Bulgaria, Romania, and Belarus, Sri lanka, and Tunisia.

“Tourism in Palestine is very much related to political issues,” stressed Ishaq. “Without peace and stability, tourism will remain subject to the fragile situation. The time we have stability as we have in the last years, we will have more tourists coming to our areas. Our strategy for the coming five to 10 years is to have Palestine successfully compete and get its share of regional tourism arrivals, through developing and diversifying the tourism offerings and promoting the richness in cultural, historical, and natural resources.”  AUGUST 2012

Travel Bookings

INVESTIGATION

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To Surf or Not to Surf Online travel agencies (OTA) are rapidly becoming popular due to the fast and efficient services customers need when booking a holiday. On the other hand, traditional travel agencies have also been witnessing that a large percentage of customers still prefer to book safely; the old-fashioned way as opposed to arranging travel itineraries over the Internet.

 Dominique Christou writes

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ustomers still rely on travel agents for tailor-made, ready-made packages, for the simple reason that with OTAs they cannot get that professional consultancy which a travel agent can provide with their experience, this according to Nasiruddin Mohd Shariq, general manager, Regency Travel & Tours.

“Having said that, OTAs which are consolidating their business are growing and will keep on increasing but will never be a threat to a professional travel agent,” she stated.

Indicating that traditional travel agencies are far more beneficial when booking travel itineraries, Mohd Shariq said, “If you opt to book your holiday or travel online and something goes wrong during the trip, you cannot hold the Internet or online tool responsible, whereby you can get immediate assistance from your travel agent who will be accessible always to talk to you and to guide you.

“Having said that, you cannot overrule the penetration of the Internet and smart online tools these days which are growing and trying to match the service of a physical person.”

Agreeing on the reasons which still make traditional travel agents important when booking trips, Dina Cheraghvand, international marketing manager, Iran Paradise (Dornagasht Tour & Travel Agency) said, “The special interest tours are often the options that AUGUST 2012

are organised by an expert travel agency which provide you with a unique experience that you can hardly find without a travel agency, otherwise it will be risky.

Also, the family and elder tours also are the main customers of the packaged tours by travel agencies. I believe that as travel agencies also feel this option as a risk of losing and reducing their clients, they are more creative nowadays, and they have been successful.”

With the increasing prominence of OTA’s in the region, many offline travel agencies are also looking at ways in which they can boost the booking capabilities of their own websites

ONLINE VERSUS OFFLINE Travelport, which has been a global distribution system (GDS) leader in the Middle East and North Africa for nearly two decades with a MENA footprint that currently spans across more than a dozen countries, plays a major role in the world of travel bookings.

According to Rabih Saab, president, Middle East and Africa, Travelport, new online booking channels are emerging and more of them are catering their product and marketing it to the Middle East consumer. “Some of the larger online players are even introducing new payment facilities that make it easier for GCC-based

travellers to pay in their local currency,” he explained.

Moreover, Saab indicated that one of the biggest benefits for travellers to book online rather than offline is the convenience, as more travel suppliers cater to this consumer segment offering booking facilities through smartphones and other personal devices.

“For simple itineraries that are unlikely to change, online booking can be a convenient method for individuals arranging point-to-point travel,” he said.

In addition, with the increasing prominence of OTAs in the region, many offline travel agencies are also looking at ways in which they can boost the booking capabilities of their own websites according to Saab, who added, “One of our products which is becoming increasingly popular is Galileo Web Services; an application that helps travel agencies build a website that can integrate GDS travel content into their web-based booking applications. This is allowing agencies to maximise the traffic on their own websites and we expect to see more traditional travel retailers leverage these types of innovative solutions to help boost their presence online.”

Moreover, Saab drew attention to another trend which is being witnessed; the increasing importance of hotel bookings, where both online and offline travel suppliers are increasingly vying for the hotel consumer as the commissions or yields on these bookings tend to be higher. “Gone are the days when customers would only book their flight online or through an agent,” he explained. “Increasingly, travellers want to streamline the booking process and 

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Travel Bookings

bundle all these services, booking their flight, hotel, and ancillary products altogether.”

Further commenting on the shift in trends, Saab explained that this has caused travel suppliers to become hungry for access to richer hotel content. “At Travelport, this is why we continue to expand on our non-air offering, having introduced products such as ‘Rooms and More’.”

Alternatively, Saab highlighted that arranging travel online can prove more challenging, especially among families or groups travelling together, which is very common in the MENA region. “Face-to-face customer service is often what is needed, which is why some do not mind paying a bit extra for that human touch,” he explained. Another issue which arises when booking online is the security concern of travellers using their credit card details, with some still not comfortable divulging their financial details through a website, according to Saab. “This could help explain why, according to our in-house research, a substantial number of travellers are using the web to research their travel plans, but are making their final bookings and payments offline.”

REMAINING AT THE FOREFRONT Travelport is constantly developing in order to cater to the ever-changing market. “Our most recent product launch is ViewTrip Mobile; a new travel itinerary application for smartphone users that delivers critical up-to-date information. This is the first fully integrated GDS powered travel itinerary app available in the Middle East. It is currently available in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, with the view to expand the product this summer to other countries,” commented Saab.

In addition, Amadeus, the leading transaction processor for the global travel and tourism industry, is continuing to innovate as a key technology partner for the travel industry in the region, through its regional headquarters in Dubai. It is also currently present through 17 local Amadeus Commercial Organisations servicing 21 countries including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, and many others, this according to Antoine Medawar, vice president, Middle East and North of Africa, Amadeus.

The company recently introduced the Amadeus Mobile Traveller, a fully integrated and complete mobile application designed to support pre-trip, in-trip, and post-trip functionalities and enable end-travellers to fulfill their needs while on the go, to its diversified portfolio of products and services. “This new application boasts a suite of planning and booking functionalities for real-time flight, car rental, and hotel bookings, taking into account social media integration and in-trip assistance services,” Medawar explained, adding that the new product has been specifically designed for the region to enable travel agents to stay at the forefront of new trends and traveller behaviour.

“We are proud to say that we are the only player to provide an all-in-one GDS-powered mobile application in this region,” he further commented.

A recent Amadeus-commissioned study entitled Empowering Inspiration: The Future of Travel Search conducted by travel industry research authority PhoCusWright, surveyed 4,638 travellers in the US, the UK, Germany, India, Russia, and Brazil. The findings aptly bring to light global trends and consumer buying habits in relation to travel.

For instance, it was found that in the shopping

You cannot overrule the penetration of the Internet and smart online tools these days which are growing and trying to match the service of a physical person

process, 47 percent of US travellers experience frustration online, compared to over 78 percent of Russian travellers. This is mainly due to information overload, the availability of multiple options to purchase travel, and the lack of confidence that they are getting a good deal.

According to Medawar, the significance of these trends can be seamlessly translated to the Middle East region. “The industry is going through a dynamic transformation in travel-technology. The Middle East has seen a steady growth in e-commerce over the last few years and one of the fastest growing categories

for e-commerce across the globe is travel as customers are increasingly choosing the Internet to look for the best deals,” he said, further mentioning a recent report released by research firm Euromonitor International which shows a monumental spike in e-commerce growth across the Arab world, with online sales tipped to reach USD2 billion by 2016.

Medawar further highlighted that the report also found that online shoppers in the UAE, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia spent USD1.01 billion on e-commerce sites in 2011, with many local retailers reporting a twofold increase in revenues.  AUGUST 2012

TOUR

Switzerland

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Dedicated Swiss Hospitality SWITZERLAND IN BRIEF Capital: Bern Currency: Swiss Franc (CHF) Language: German, French, Italian

Swiss Alps

 Dominique Christou writes

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örg Krebs, director, India, Middle East, and Africa, Switzerland Tourism (ST), has heralded Geneva and Zürich as the main drivers for travellers from the MENA region.

“This year we introduced our capital city Bern, our medical tourism association ‘Swiss Health’, and various offers of our main partner Swiss Travel System/Rail Europe, all directly sold by the different general sales agencies of Rail Europe in the GCC countries.”

Nico Garcia Hofer, marketing manager, Middle East, Geneva Tourism & Convention Bureau, also highlighted Geneva as the city which has been, still is, and will be the destination in Switzerland for the GCC population. “Geneva is more than perfectly equipped for receiving visitors from the region,” he stated. “You will find Arabspeaking staff in all hotel categories, in restaurants, banks, shops and boutiques, taxi drivers, and so on.”

According to Hofer, overnight stays from the GCC market have increased by up to 39.1 percent in the last seven years, equivalent to 166,815 in 2011. “The strongest months, without counting Ramadan, are July and August. The GCC is in our top five markets after Switzerland, France, the US, and Great Britain. In 2011 there were 4.5 percent more overnights in comparison with 2010. Approximately 40 to 45 percent of the Arab clients stay in five-star hotels, and their average stay is three days,” he further commented.

Attributing the popular and ever-growing Arab market to the strong partnerships between the Swiss tourism authorities and the MENA region, Hofer highlighted the particularly fruitful relations between Geneva Tourism and ST, whose regional offices are based in Dubai which are responsible for the GCC markets.

In February and March, ST organised a Switzerland travel experience to the MENA region, where delegates from the Geneva Tourism & Convention Bureau set out to further promote the destination through various workshops, dinner networks, and media lunches, across several Middle Eastern cities such as Jeddah, Riyadh, Dammam, Al Khobar, Kuwait City, Doha, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai, as Hofer explained. He also noted that they travel annually to Dubai to attend the Arabian Travel Market to further showcase the country and its cities to MENA travellers.  AUGUST 2012

Geneva, Zϋrich, and the Swiss Alps, in particular, have long been popular travel choices among MENA guests as they all provide a plethora of perfectly-tailored tourism offerings, and with the large number of air routes available, alongside the rapid increase in flights, between the two regions, the country is expected to witness a large influx of Arab visitors this year.

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Switzerland

Hofer also praised the launch of Geneva Tourism & Convention Bureau’s new product, Geneva pocket maps, in a bid to target several key markets, such as the MENA segment. “One pocket map is dedicated to the Arab visitors. This pocket map is designed to highlight not only the city’s top 10 must-see sites, but also to showcase a further eight of the city’s more surprising ‘hidden gems’, specifically related to Arab visitors.”

A SWISS WELCOMING Hoteliers across Geneva and Zürich have been acknowledging the promising Arab market such as Jose Silva, general manager, Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues, who described the MENA segment as one which is well-accustomed in Geneva.

“In fact they represent a 15 to 20 percent of the upscale hotel industry on an annual basis,” he confirmed. “This year, we have noticed an increase bringing their volume back to their highest performances

rivers, and its easy access where everything is within one hour from the city.

Moving on to the heart of the renowned Swiss Alps is the village of Crans-Montana whereby Philippe Rubod, CEO, Crans-Montana Tourism Board, announced an unfortunate drop in total room nights of five percent, largely due to the crisis within the Eurozone.

Commenting on overall performance in the coming months, he said, “We anticipate Swiss and European markets to stay flat this year, if not slightly softening, with two exceptions for the UK and Germany where we expect to see growth. The Middle East, China, Brazil, and Russia should maintain their upward trends for our destination. These global trends should remain the same over the next three to four years.”

Rubod further pointed out that the Middle East market accounted for almost 2.5 percent of total room nights in Crans-Montana in 2011, being the region’s largest inbound market outside Europe, and

one which is still growing. Main inbound traffic from the MENA market into the village comes from Kuwait, UAE, and Qatar. “Our clients from the Middle East appreciate our typically Swiss core values of respect, trust, democracy, reliability, and environment presentation.

“Switzerland always appears to Middle Easern travellers as an island of stability, peace, prosperity, safety, and excellent value for money in this everchanging and unpredictable world,” he said.

With Crans-Montana resort offering a variety of activities, Rubod indicated that the most popular amongst MENA travellers are the great selection of hotels and apartments or chalets for rent, and the worldwide famous summer camps for juniors, among others. “Our onsite golf clubs are legendary, and so are our ski slopes. We offer the best shopping experience in the French speaking Swiss Alps, plus a casino open 365 days a year and 134 restaurants featuring cuisines from around the world,” he added. “Our convention centre caters for meetings and events up to 1,500 participants. Additionally, we are the home of international sport and cultural events attracting up to 50,000 people.”

AN ABUNDANCE OF CHOICES

Crans Montana Panoramic View

in our hotel. Our MENA clientele appreciates the availability of Middle Eastern food and menus for room service. We adjust the staffing to later evening and night demand.”

Moreover, Stefanie Krisch, public relations and marketing assistant, Gstaad Palace, expects an increase in figures from the Middle East this year, as well as from the emerging Brazil, Russia, India, and China markets, following great business in 2011.

Krisch further revealed that from the Middle East region, 40 percent of guests are from Saudi Arabia, 30 percent from the UAE, 15 percent from Lebanon, five percent from Kuwait, five percent from Bahrain, two percent from Qatar, 1.5 percent from Oman, and 1.5 percent from Iran.

Further recognising the popularity of MENA guests, Serena Dadon, resident manager, sale and rooms, Crowne Plaza Zürich, commented, “In 2011, roughly five percent of our customers came from the Middle East and North Africa.”

She pointed out that for guests from this region, Zürich has a lot to offer, especially the old town, the lake, and the new developments in the west of the city. Moreover, the mountains are proving to be quite popular, Dadon added, along with Switzerland’s

Geneva

Hofer further noted that there has also been an impressive increase in direct flights, since a little more than one year ago, between Geneva and the GCC countries which has helped to increase arrivals and overnights. “We actually have Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways, and Emirates, flying daily to Geneva. Kuwait Airways also offers three weekly flights. In the summertime, Saudi Arabia Airlines (Saudia) fly five times a week to Geneva from Jeddah, and six times a week from Riyadh,” he explained.

Overall, a large number of airlines from the MENA region serve Geneva Airport (GVA) namely Air Algérie, Egyptair, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Kuwait Airways, Middle East Airlines, Qatar Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Royal Jordanian Airlines, Saudia, and Tunisair.

Moreover, Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) flies daily non-stop from Dubai and operates daily services from Muscat to Zürich. Commenting on the positive results concluded in 2011 as well as a strong year so far upon these routes, Martin Massüger, director, head of sales, Middle East, Africa, Pakistan, and Iran, SWISS, said, “Our seat load factor on the DubaiMuscat route was stable in the high seventies. We are doing fairly well this year and our seat load factors are at healthy levels.”

In conclusion, Yves-Daniel Viredaz, head of marketing communication, GVA, reported that 13 million passengers have passed through the airport so far this year, representing a growth of 10.5 percent, well above the European average. “For the first half of the year, we saw an increase of six percent of passenger traffic,” he commented, adding that the West Wing of the airport is set to see major developments take place over the next five years, set to accommodate the airport’s growing wide-body traffic.  AUGUST 2012

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LONG-HAUL

Maldives

One Millions Reasons for Maldives MALDIVES IN BRIEF Capital: Malé Currency: Maldivian Rufiyaa (MVR) Language: Dhivehi

Over the past four decades, Maldives has gone to great lengths to establish itself as one of the world’s most desired destinations, unfolding, as its promotional slogan indicates, ‘the sunny side of life’ while it heads towards a new record of one million annual visitors.

 Rita Kasziba writes

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ith a robust year-on-year increase of 17.6 percent, visitor volume in 2011 shot up to over 931,000, marking a highly successful period for the Maldives islands, which have significantly improved over the past 40 years.

“Since tourism started back in 1972 with only two resorts and 1,072 guests, the industry has grown tremendously,” highlighted Mohamed Adam, managing director, Maldives Marketing & Public Relations Corporation. “In 2011, we had a record-breaking figure of 931,333 tourists and we are expecting that this figure would reach one million by the end of this year.”

Currently in the process of developing the fourth tourism master plan that will outline the future of the islands’ tourism industry, the government and the private sector have long been working closely in planning and promoting the destination, noted Adam, who further pinpointed that as a result, tourism has become a major driver of the country’s socio-economic development.

In fact, the World Travel & Tourism Council ranks Maldives’ tourism as third out of 181 countries in terms of relative contribution to the country’s GDP, and accordingly, the industry is directly responsible for around 31,000 jobs, equivalent to 22.7 percent of the total employment.

Sharing his opinion on the industry’s vital role, Adam remarked, “Tourism is now developed all across the Maldives, and we have seen that the employment in this sector has brought the locals greater welfare.”

Maldives’ concept is built around the idea of creating a true haven, where visitors from all around the world can escape to, to unwind and indulge in ultimate serenity and where dreams become reality.

ONE ISLAND, ONE RESORT Describing Maldives as a destination which remains aspirational, Etienne de Villiers, area public relations manager, Anantara Resorts Maldives, affirmed that while it is often compared to Mauritius and Seychelles, it differs in the fact that the country offers a ‘one island-one resort’ concept.

AUGUST 2012

Maldives Mohammed Riyaz, managing director, Let’s Go Maldives, concurred, highlighting that the destination's properties are unique with ocean-view rooms, and excellent spa facilities. “We get countless requests for honeymooners,” he said, noting that family packages are also very much in demand. “Another emerging segment is the ‘Islamic Sharia Compliant concept’, which comes in the form of specially designed private rooms with private pools, and all the luxury that is prevalent in Maldivian resort hotels,” he continued.

The country’s world renowned hotel sector continued to thrive this year with nearly 400,000 visitors recorded in the first five months, up 1.7 percent over the corresponding period in 2011.

“The past 12 months have been very good with the later few months being slightly more challenging,” said Shumaes Rasheed, marketing communications, Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort & Spa, who also remarked on the challenges imposed by the changing global conditions. “Europe’s economic problems and concerns regarding the local political situation did cause a slight impact, but overall business outlook remains strong and we are on pace to exceed our 2011 results.”

Results released by STR Global regarding the hotel sector over the past year have revealed that while between May 2011 and May this year, supply grew two

AUGUST 2012

The government is targeting for one million tourists to the Maldives and this is not going to happen without the Middle East market percent and continued to increase 3.2 percent during the first five months of the current year, demand also rose 10.2 percent in 2011 but declined by 3.8 percent to this May. STR Global put forward the main reasons

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of this setback on the combined effect of a short-lived new legislation aimed at banning hotels spas at the end of 2011 which was overturned in February this year, the political unrest in the capital city threatening the peaceful image of the islands, and a great deal of new supply.

Meanwhile, whilst demand from European visitors declined, the emergence of growing wealthy Chinese travellers has benefitted hotels and helped Maldives to remain one of the top luxury destinations around the world, stated Elizabeth Randall, managing director, STR Global.

Accordingly, these changing conditions have prompted hoteliers to explore new markets, reducing their reliance on the European and Chinese travellers, as Alan Stocker, general manager, Hilton Maldives Iru Fushi Resort & Spa, explained, “More strategic marketing activities are planned for the year ahead and we are not only focusing on our key source markets but will tap other emerging markets such as South Korea, US, and the Middle East.”

Commenting on the shifting patterns, de Villiers, added, “Our top source markets mirror the Maldives’ overall visitor arrivals including China, UK, Germany, and Russia, although UK and some other key European markets are overall down in arrivals to the Maldives.” de Villiers also lauded the Middle East market 

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for providing the hotel with excellent business particularly from nationals and expatriates travelling from Saudi Arabia and the UAE, as a result of proactive sales and marketing efforts in those regions.

“The company is also growing and capitalising on its positive brand recognition in the Middle East thanks, in part, to its exclusive resorts in the UAE and future developments,” he explained, adding that Anantarabranded resorts are developing and growing niche groups such as family celebrations and weekend breakaways from the Middle East due to the Maldives’ close proximity and ease of access.

Stocker also praised the soaring Middle Eastern segment, and said, ”The Middle East has increased significantly with an average length of stay of five-seven nights. They are keen on booking our higher categories since total privacy is their most important factor.”

The MENA region certainly holds great potential, particularly for the destination’s thriving luxury segment, as Yoosuf Riffath, managing director, Capital

Maldives particular marketplace.”

In addition, Jumeirah Maldives also offers product training to its key travel industry partners within the region and works with them on joint marketing activities. “These efforts are complemented by advertising spend in key agent brochures and publications around the major travel periods. Our summer and Eid offers are being promoted through our strong net-

boat options, the Maldives will increasingly offer holiday options that suit most budgets.”

Rasheed, added, “The Middle East is an important market for us and with all three carriers, Emirates, Etihad Airways, and Qatar Airways, now flying into the Maldives, we have seen a 20 percent increase in business from the region.”

Official statistics have revealed that arrivals from the Middle East have jumped a confident 65 percent from 4,352 in 2011 to 7,179, with the UAE registering an apparent surge of 98.9 percent.

“We believe that the GCC is an important region for the Maldives,” Adam further stressed, baring details on Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation’s initiatives implemented to target the region. “In order to increase visitors from the GCC region, we have taken part in the Arabian Travel Market, and we are working with TV channels in Bahrain and organising fam trips inviting important media and travel trade from the GCC. We are using the ‘Sunny Side of the Life’ as the destination log, and we are taking part in 18 different exhibitions. Our main markets that we target this year would be China, India, Russia, Germany, Switzerland, the Middle East, and the GCC countries.”

FROM DREAM TO REALITY

Jumeirah Dhevanafushi

Travel, noted, adding that the agency has been present in the Middle East for 23 years, and over the last two decades, visitor volume from the region has greatly improved. “The Middle East market is very important for Maldives’ luxury resorts. We will see further increase,” Riffath indicated, stressing that the luxury travel sector lays great emphasis on meeting the needs of the Middle East clientele.

Jumeirah, an already well-established brand in the Middle East operates two properties in the Maldives.

“Jumeirah Dhevanafushi has been operational for 12 months, and Jumeirah Vittaveli for six months.

As newly opened hotels, we have been very pleased with the sales and operational performance during this time, and we have achieved a healthy growth,” indicated Adam Turner, director of sales and marketing, Jumeirah Maldives, adding that the feeder markets are seasonal. “In line with our objective to create an effective business mix for each resort, we do not rely on any one key market. The Middle East is exceedingly important to us, particularly as we leverage the brand recognition and likeability of Jumeirah in this

work in the MENA region,” added Turner, noting that “[the company is] very fortunate to have two unique yet distinctly sophisticated properties in the Maldives. Both resorts cater to various market segments.

Jumeirah Vittaveli is the true essence of a Maldivian island paradise [and] Jumeirah Dhevanafushi is a secret hideaway on the southern end of the rich Maldivian landscape.”

SUNNY HORIZONS Maldives is, in every sense, well-positioned to further increase visitor volumes from the Middle East, as well as other anticipated worldwide tourism segments, according to Riyaz, who further stated, “The Maldives’ location is central to the growing Middle East and Asia Pacific markets and the continuous increase in the extensive network of daily scheduled and chartered flights is opening up new market opportunities in family travel, young couples, sport enthusiasts, and weekend breaks.

Coupled with the on-going addition of new resorts, ranging from three-star to five-star, and the likes of safari

As the country continues to perfect its image and target new markets, its main entry point, Ibrahim Nasir International Airport, goes through significant renovations and upgrades, and the highly anticipated new terminal is scheduled to open in 2014.

Commenting on the ongoing developments Riffath added, “[Over the next two years] a large number of beds are expected to be added to the country's inventory, and Maldives is still planning to offer affordable prices to everyone.”

Expressing equally optimistic hopes, Stocker added, “Tourism demand will still grow in the country in the coming years. The main reason for choosing the Maldives is the beach, its exotic location, uniqueness, and privacy and seclusion that set the country apart from other major tourist destinations.

“There is still demand from the high-end markets for exclusive resorts which the country is well-known for. This year celebrates the 40th year of tourism in the Maldives and the country expects over one million visitors. It is anticipated that visitor numbers will grow year on year to sustain the addition of new resorts in the region,” Stocker concluded.

Industry professionals agree that Maldives has a real potential to turn its dream of welcoming one million visitors into reality, with Riyaz attributing a pivotal role to the Arab region. “As it happens, our low season is [the Middle Eastern market’s] summer season which means this is one group that could raise our occupancy rates. At present it is covering only less than two percent of the market share of the total arrival to Maldives. This year, the government is targeting for one million tourists to the Maldives and this is not going to happen without the Middle East market.”  AUGUST 2012

Mauritius

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High-End – Low-Impact

Long Beach

 Rita Kasziba writes

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amed for its fascinating beaches and equally enticing multi-cultural society, Mauritius has gradually shifted its economy towards new areas, such as banking, real estate, and tourism, targeting the high-end markets with a keen eye on low impact practices, resulting in visitor volume surging from just 18,000 in 1970 to over 964,600 in 2011, contributing 12.6 percent to the nation’s GDP. “The last 12 months in Mauritius have been constant,” said Shane Jameson, director of sales and marketing, InterContinental Mauritius, noting that emerging markets have been seen replacing the deficit witnessed from traditional markets. “It is exciting to be here at the moment as the markets are shifting as well as the requirements of the consumer.”

As a matter of fact, the sluggish economic growth, especially in the Eurozone, has prompted hoteliers to reach out to new markets, tapping into the likes of China, Russia, India – or the GCC, as Siddik Bodhee, director of sales and marketing, Sofitel L’Imperial Resort and Spa, indicated. “The Middle East is definitely one of those territories that we are trying to conquer; therefore we are doing fantastic offers to attract the attention of this particular market.”

Remarking on the Middle East’s significance, Jameson added, “We enjoy great business from the region, due to the high-class of service, the idyllic locations available on the island, and the close proximity to the Gulf, as well as Emirates’ flights being available now double daily. The GCC, the Levant, and North Africa are important on our radar.”

NEW DIRECTIONS The country’s flag carrier serves the region with flights operated to Dubai in codeshare with Emirates, as Donald Payen, executive vice president, customer services and corporate communications, Air Mauritius, explained. “[So far] the route has performed well but we would wish to see more growth from the GCC AUGUST 2012

Le Touessrok, Sun Resorts

countries.” Payen further noted that the fragile economic climate coupled with the skyrocketing fuel prices resulted in significant losses to the airline. “Tourist arrivals from Europe to Mauritius dropped by 2.7 percent in the first quarter of the year.”

In response to the changing market conditions, the airline recently reduced its capacity on a number of routes. “We were operating to 10 destinations with single weekly frequencies,” explained Payen. “On the one hand, it undermined our competitiveness as it offered little flexibility and choice to our customers. On the other, operating once a week did not give us the economies of scale to be able to operate efficiently and profitably.”

As a result, the company made the decision to cease operations to most of its single frequency destinations, according to Payen, who added, “We will be serving these destinations via hubs which we are reinforcing through the strengthening of existing partnerships and the development of new ones. We will also be concentrating our network by increasing frequencies to [a number of ] destinations.”

CONSOLIDATING GAINS In fact, times are challenging and the tourism industry is not spared either, Clyde Vacher, communications and public affairs manager, Sun Resorts Mauritius, the major local hotel group, which currently owns and manages five resorts, noted, adding that during these times the Middle East is increasingly seen as a relevant market with immerse potential.

“We saw much interest from the trade in the Middle East at the Arabian Travel Market,” Vacher said, expressing his hope to see increased business levels from the whole MENA region in the coming months and years.

As Mauritius aims to make the most of its abundant resources and developing infrastructure, the industry is focusing its efforts on promoting high-end tourism, while also targeting niche segments, such as medical and MICE tourism.

Accordingly, the past few months have been very busy at one of the country’s most sought-after

Over the past few decades, Mauritius has transformed itself from a lowincome economy, predominantly dependent on sugar and textile production, into an increasingly richer destination, with investments flowing into a whole new range of sectors including its globally renowned luxury tourism industry.

MAURITIUS IN BRIEF Capital: Port Louis Currency: Mauritian Rupee Language: English

venues, as Oliver Le Febvre, manager, Trianon Convention Centre (TCC), noted, adding that during a conference in May, the venue hosted over 2,300 people.

“We tend to market ourselves for business gatherings, such as conferences, trade shows, shareholders meeting, company trainings, but we are a multipurpose facility, […] conveniently situated to hotels and restaurants, and just a short drive away from the airport.”

The most renowned international brands have long been present in Mauritius, continuously looking for opportunities to further expand their network. In fact, one of the most anticipated new properties in the region, St. Regis Mauritius, is due to open on September 15, marking the brand’s debut in Africa.

With the ongoing developments backed by the globally renowned high standards, the industry’s future development is right on track to achieve further success. “The infrastructure of Mauritius is strengthening every day, building and delivering on an already-sound and familiar tourism platform,” Jameson said. “Mauritius really is the jewel of the Indian Ocean.

The island performs nobly on a variety of stages from micro-tourism to unparalleled MICE events.”

Indeed, according to the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority, between January and May, the country received 412,528 visitors, marking a slight year-on-year improvement, and the industry aims to consolidate the gains.

“It has been said that Mauritius has only covered 10 percent of its capacity for tourism and MICE,” Le Febvre added. “I think the country has huge potential,” he concluded, noting that, for instance, a new motorway is being contracted not far from TCC, and it is only one of the many ongoing developments that will ensure visitors and entrepreneurs even better services in the years to come.” 

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LONG-HAUL

Seychelles

Another World, Another Record  Rita Kasziba writes

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emonstrating the strength and resilience of the Seychelles islands’ tourism industry, in spite of the multiple challenges, in 2011 the country managed to record its most successful year to date in terms of visitor volume after welcoming 194,753 travellers to its shores, marking a healthy year-on-year increase of 11 percent and proving that the Seychelles Tourism Board’s (STB) tireless endeavours have paid towering dividends.

“Diversification into promising, new markets by way of intense marketing campaigns coupled with the fact that air access via new hubs in Doha, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Addis Abada mean that Seychelles is now effectively ‘one stop from anywhere on the planet’,” Elsia Grandcourt, CEO, STB, explained.

Benefitting from its unique location on the second largest island of Seychelles, Raffles Praslin, which opened in February 2011, has already established itself as one of the most preferred hotels and spas, as Simon Hirst, general manager, Raffles Praslin, expressed, adding that the changing market conditions prompted hoteliers to focus on yet untapped regions.

“The challenge for the past one year was that direct flights discontinued or were reduced from Europe.

The Gulf carriers, Emirates, Etihad Airways, and Qatar Airways, [however] are presently expanding their European routes with an increase in their weekly flights and direct services to the Seychelles.”

Still, despite the fragile situation, Seychelles remains high on the list for both holidaymakers and investors, Peter Smith, sales and marketing director, Eden Island, the residential marina development located just a few hundred metres from Mahé, reaffirmed. “Despite very tough trading conditions worldwide, we still managed to sell over 50 properties.”

Smith listed Eastern Europe, South Africa, and Europe itself as the company’s main markets, adding that the Middle East, especially Dubai and Abu Dhabi, also having emerged as highly potential business opportunities.

Likewise, the properties operating under the Le Relax brand also rely mainly on the traditional European markets with the Middle East gradually gaining attention. “The recent announcement and partnership between Air Seychelles and Etihad Airways, and having Emirates and Qatar Airways [among others] flying here, will certainly be beneficial for Seychelles’ tourism industry as a whole,” noted Robert Tourssaint, marketing manager, Le Relax Hotels Management.

To cater to the anticipated demand, the company already has two new projects under construction, namely Le Relax Lodge and Le Relax Self Catering Bungalows in La Digue. “In addition, we also have another big hotel project in the pipeline at Anse Forban with more than 100 rooms.”

After visitor arrivals hit record high in 2011, Seychelles’ tourism industry, promoted under the slogan ‘another world’, has pinned its hopes on a strong target of 200,000 travellers for this year, as the destination is becoming more accessible than ever before.

SEYCHELLES IN BRIEF Capital: Victoria Currency: Seychellois rupee (SCR) Language: French, English, Seychellois Creole

LINKING THE AIR Also remarking on the region’s growing importance, Constance Lyners, assistant director of sales and marketing, Kempinski Seychelles Resort, Baie Lazare, noted, “The Middle East is one of the fastest growing markets for the Seychelles and the resort as Emirates, Etihad Airways, and Qatar Airways all offer direct

services to Mahé. With the increased flight frequencies on Etihad Airways and Emirates [...] we expect to see even more growth in the next few months.”

In fact, travel options were enhanced earlier this year with the signing of an agreement between the Seychelles and Abu Dhabi governments that allows both Etihad Airways and the national airline, Air Seychelles, to operate up to 14 weekly passengers flights between the destinations.

Etihad Airways currently holds a 40 percent stake in Air Seychelles, and Joel Morgan, minister of home affairs, transport and energy, described the transaction as a ’game-changing strategic partnership’, which is bound to establish Air Seychelles on a sustainable growth trajectory and offer a realistic way forward for long-term commercial growth.

Meanwhile, James Hogan, president, Etihad Airways, remarked on the strength of such partnerships, defining it as a natural next step towards growing the airline’s operation in the increasingly important leisure markets of the Indian Ocean and Africa.

Air Seychelles also recently welcomed its first A330-200 aircraft at Seychelles International Airport from Abu Dhabi, with Cramer Ball, CEO, Air Seychelles describing the occasion as a historic moment, and a turning point towards a brighter future.

BRIGHTER FUTURE In fact, a prosperous future is what the entire industry is vying for and STB is leaving no stones unturned to achieve its goal as well as a new record.

With international airlines continuously spreading wings to the island, STB strongly believes that by the year’s end, the destination could surpass the 200,000 visitor mark.

“Between January and May, a total of 84,492 visitors were recorded; a seven percent year-onyear increase. From the Middle East, 6,291 travellers, marking a 39 percent growth, and from Africa, 9,398 visitors, up four percent,” said Grandcourt, adding that these markets will be targeted through trade fairs, road shows, exhibitions, and media outlets to further boost traffic between the destinations.

“Seychelles has had to differentiate itself from other destinations offering the conventional sun, sea, and sand to a unique Seychelles brand which is an integrated approach to sustainable tourism management, reflecting the symbiotic relationships which exists between the unspoiled environment and the tourism trade,” added Grandcourt.

“Tourism is a highly competitive business and one that does not readily invite travellers to rest on their laurels. Seychelles will have to continue to fight for market share, but with a strong brand and a policy of diversification into new markets, the islands, with their stunning natural beauty and the authentic island lifestyle they offer, will continue to be an enticing choice.”  AUGUST 2012

AAMIR PERVEZ

RUPRECHT SCHMITZ

General manager, Corp Executive Hotel Apartments – Al Barsha.

General manager, Millennium Hotel Abu Dhabi.

“To win, one must lead, but we have also established a 10 point formula that defines our vision for both staff and guests. The fact that we have an outstanding product, facilities and location in Dubai’s growing hub Al Barsha is a definite plus, but there are other basic strategies that we have put in place which include a pragmatic business plan, integrated marketing, and aligned sales tactics. Our crosstraining initiative, where members of staff work in different departments, has been a great success in enhancing the overall team spirit as well as improving guest satisfaction.”

ZIYAD BIN MAHFOUZ President, Elaf Group.

“The Elaf Group will not only continue to play a vital role for local and regional tourism development, but also across international tourism markets. We will continue to offer world class tourism products and services that are in line with the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities.

Our ultimate goal is to strengthen the Kingdom’s presence and position in the international tourism market, making it a prime global tourist destination.” Elaf hotels have performed consistently well over the last few years, despite the challenging market conditions across the region.”

TRAVEL TALK IS YOUR SPACE – this is a casual forum for travel industry professionals to discuss current issues and share stories. We want to hear from you, so send your comments, questions, frustrations and observations to editorial@traveltradeweekly.travel AUGUST 2012

“Over the past years, the Millennium Hotel Abu Dhabi has been constantly striving for perfection. The attention to detail plays a major role in our continued success. Always raising our standards of quality to reach new heights of achievement, we do not just look at the entire picture from the outside, but dig deeper to perfect the minor details that make all the difference, as we are thriving to exceed expectations.“We are deeply privileged to receive [the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence 2012] accolade, as a result of feedback from our valued guests.”

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travel talk is your space

TRAVEL TALK

24

TRAVEL CHANNELS

Globus Family Of Brands Launches Europe Certification Globus family of brands, the world’s largest coach touring company, has introduced a unique ‘I Know Europe’ certification, in order to help travellers find qualified travel agents who can help enhance their European travel experiences.

T

his is said to be the first and only comprehensive European certification setting the standard amongst travel agents and consultants in the Middle East, aimed at selling the region with skills, knowledge base, and tools to enable them to showcase the continent as a complete destination, comprising stand-alone tourism hotspots.

Supporting the Globus family of brands in this certification are various European national tourism boards whose agents are put through an extensive training schedule of over 30 study-hours.

The certification includes destinations such as the UK and Ireland, Italy, France, Spain, Switzerland, Greece, Turkey, and even regions like Scandinavia,

Eastern Europe and Russia which are picking the interest of the well-travelled clients.

“Travellers today are aware and have a lot of information available to the extent that it can sometimes become too much information and not all of it is always reliable,” commented Gauri Jayaram, regional director, South Asia and Middle East, Globus family of brands. “Moreover a vacation should be stress free, memorable, and unique to the needs of the traveller. This is where a travel agent steps in, as partners, in helping their customers get best value for money with their recommendations and expertise. It is impossible to expect a travel agent to visit every place to know the details. An exhaustive training is the next best thing,” Jayaram concluded.

Travellers today are aware and have a lot of information available to the extent that it can sometimes become too much information and not all of it is always reliable

Singapore Proves to Be Popular with Gulf visitors The number of Gulf visitors to Singapore have continued to increase, as the nation state has been named Asia’s Top Convention City for the 10th year in a row by the International Congress and Convention Association, announced Dubai-based tourism board officials.

“Singapore continues to attract the world to its growing number of conventions and events, and an increasing number of them are from the Gulf. Singapore is far more than just a worldclass tourist destination,” said Mohamed Hafez Marican, area director, Middle East and Africa, Singapore Tourism Board.

The prestigious award follows an equally stellar year for tourism as Singapore welcomed a record number of visitors of more than 13.2 million in 2011, exceeding its forecast range of 12 - 13 million.

The number of business travellers has also continued to rise, comprising 24 percent of the total visitors to Singapore, with some AED16 billion (USD4.4 billion) in expenditure from this sector having contributed to around 25 percent of total tourism receipts.

Another key element to Singapore’s success was the strong performance in the MICE industry, which saw a 46 percent yearon-year growth in the number of major conventions, conferences, and tradeshows in 2011, which conveyed increased attendance and participation.

Singapore

AUGUST 2012

China

ONSITE

25

One and Only China is home to a profound history boasting distinctive cultural ways with a uniquely traditional lifestyle altogether making it an enticing destination to visit for all travellers alike across the world, and the MENA guest is certainly no exception, as they continue to travel long-haul to a country which accommodates them somewhat impeccably.

Yuyuan Garden, Shanghai

 Dominique Christou writes

A

ccording to Sven Meyer, managing director, one billion voices, the marketing and public relations agency for China National Tourism Authority for the German, Austrian, and Dutch markets, 2011 was a record year for tourism in China, and this year a three to five percent growth in results in expected.

He further believes that regarding tourists from the MENA region, bright prospects lie ahead as economic relations between the two regions continue to improve.

CULTURAL HOSPITALITY Michele Lv, assistant director, public relations, The Ritz-Carlton, Guangzhou, described 2011 as the golden year for the hotel. “RevPAR increased 26.7 percent while competitor set grew 9.3 percent. We are ranking number one in both competitor set and change,” she explained. “Moreover, 1.4 percent of the hotel’s guests are from the MENA region, with 58 percent hailing from Qatar, 14 percent from the UAE, and 10 percent from Saudi Arabia. Keeping up with the standards of these travellers, the hotel caters to all the needs for MENA guests.”

Furthermore, Derek Lin, director of sales and marketing, White Swan Hotel, which is currently closed due to renovations, commented, “Ever since the last decade, there have been more and more Middle Eastern and North African travellers coming to Guangzhou.

The majority of guests from this region come from Iran, Syria, and Algeria. The splendid Chinese culture is definitely a charming point for visitors from this region.

China is a country with a fascinatingly long history, which is quite different from cultures in the MENA.” Also commenting on performance levels, Maurice Cook, general manager, Radisson Blu Hotel Shanghai New World, said, “There was a slump in business in 2011 coming out of the World Expo Shanghai 2010 AUGUST 2012

Traditional Chinese Dragon

CHINA IN BRIEF Capital: Beijing Currency: Chinese Yuan Renminbi (CNY) Language: Mandarin

which was anticipated for and budgeted for accordingly. This year has seen a rise in occupancies albeit with a reduction in average room rate caused by a glut of hotels that opened for the Expo plus those that were delayed and opened in early 2011, which is now showing the effect on room rates. The result is a drop in gross operating profits over 2011.”

The hotel further witnessed an increase in the number of Middle Eastern travellers compared to past years, mainly coming from the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

“Location seems to be the key factor for their choice of hotels, and since we are in the heart of the city, we benefit from this emerging market,” Cook concluded.

Moreover, Ayumi Shinagawa, director of sales and marketing, Hyatt on the Bund, underscored the increase of business guests residing at the property, describing 2011 as a good year for the hotel albeit one which witnessed an obvious decline after the influx due to the World Expo Shanghai 2010.

“Despite the increase on inventories overall, Shanghai still has a strong demand from business and leisure travellers. In addition, the popularity of international and domestic MICE business in the city remains. Hyatt on the Bund is looking at a better year this year than in 2011,” he explained.

Byrds Yang, director of sales, Four Points by Sheraton, and Aloft Beijing, Haidan, also indicated that 2011 was a good year for both properties, as was the beginning of this year, whereby the hotels’ goals were

reached. “Our key market is Asia, with about 81.7 percent of guests hailing from this region. From that, about 85 percent of our guests are from mainland China.”

Overall, the country’s development sector is growing very fast, this according to Phyllis Chen, manager, marketing and communications, Sofitel Xian on Remin Square, who added, “The travel industry is getting better and more mature. China has a long history. In our region, Xian, which is the biggest city in Northwest China, is used to being a popular travel destination. Most of the travellers to Xian are from America, Australia, and Europe.”

In addition, Celine Du, director of sales and marketing, Kerry Hotel, Beijing, also revealed good results in 2011, despite having been in the midst of heavy renovations in public areas and without a lobby. “We maintained a standard of strong service and were totally devoted to our guests,” she said. “Additionally, we have already built a strong reputation and have a great location so that our guests can enjoy coming back, even during renovation.”

Du further stressed that the Middle East market is an important one with high growth potential, and the hotel plans to attend the Arabian Travel Market in 2013, having already established relationships with travel agents in the region.

SEAMLESS CONNECTIVITY Cathay Pacific operates 35 weekly flights from Hong Kong to Bahrain, Riyadh, Jeddah, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi, with a flight schedule which offers Middle Eastern customers the best timings to Hong Kong, according to Nelson Chin, country manager, UAE, Cathay Pacific, who further pinpointed the seamless connections provided to an extensive network in China. “In having an exceptional home base in Hong Kong, we are able to offer the best connections to Asia and Australasia for passages to and from the Middle East,” Chin explained.

Etihad Airways, Emirates, Royal Jordanian Airlines, and Qatar Airways, also serve routes from the Middle East to China. 

26

WHO'S MOVED

DAMIAN BALL Damian Ball has been appointed general manager of the soon-tobe-launched Amari Doha, Qatar, of ONYX Hospitality Group.

Having worked for over 18 years in the Asia-Pacific region, Ball has an extensive background in the industry. Since starting his career in front office, he has held various management and general management positions at international

resorts and hotels at a number of destinations, including Australia, Philippines, and the Maldives.

In Doha, building on his expertise and range of operational experience, Ball will be in charge of the smooth operation of the 120room hotel and will play a pivotal role in supporting the inaugural positioning of the Amari brand in the Middle East.

RAJU PILLAI Raju Pillai has been promoted to director of commercial operations at Bahrain Air. Pillai, who has served the airline since its inception in 2008, has long played a major and successful role in the company’s continuous development and in bringing the airline to its current leading position.

Having been in the commercial

airline industry for over two decades, he has extensive knowledge and a wealth of expertise and is thus a great asset to the company.

In his new role, the senior airline industry professional will lead the commercial operations team in identifying solutions and areas where the airline’s operations can run more effectively.

AUGUST 2012

RENDEZVOUS

27

Q & A with Christophe Landais The Saudi hotel sector continues to thrive with establishments cropping up all across the Kingdom, and Accor, which has been committed to the country for more than 25 years, is determined to remain at the forefront of these developments. Christopher Landais, managing director, Accor Middle East, talks about the Saudi market’s maturation.

Travel Trade Monthly: Accor currently operates 12 hotels in six cities throughout Saudi Arabia. How did these properties perform during the first half of the year?

Christophe Landais: Our hotels in Saudi Arabia have proven very successful in terms of performance over the first half of the year, with some of them recording occupancies over 80 percent.

Best performing markets are Riyadh, Jeddah, and Mecca. This is a positive trend that we have noted for more than two years now, and which is partly due to the increasing number of travellers, both international and domestic, and to the lack of quality hotel supply in the country. Beyond these two economic factors, I also believe that our hotel brands and products, each one on its market segment, represent an innovative and high-standard offer to hotel clients.

As a result, we can observe that the performances of our hotels are often well above those of their competitive set.

Travel Trade Monthly: How many Accor properties are currently under development in the Kingdom?

Christophe Landais: We currently have five hotels and close to 1,000 rooms under development. The 176-room ibis Riyadh Olaya Street is scheduled to open later this year while the 196-room ibis Yanbu is due to be launched in 2013.

The 178-unit ibis Jeddah Malik Road, the 77-key Adagio Jeddah Malik Road, and the Novotel Jizan Corniche with 203 rooms, are all slated for opening in 2015.

Christophe Landais Managing director, Accor Middle East

Travel Trade Monthly: The company’s Saudi portfolio includes an abundance of hotel options. In which segment do you see the greatest growth potential?

Christophe Landais: Saudi Arabia is an important market for Accor and forms a key part of our strategic development plans for the region. Moreover, Accor has been present in the Kingdom since 1985, with the opening of our first hotel in this market; the 239-room Sofitel Jeddah Al Hamra. This property has been rebranded into a Pullman and is currently undergoing extensive renovation.

The main reasons behind Accor’s decision to focus on different brands in Saudi Arabia is that we would like to offer a ‘one-stop shop’ solution to guests visiting the Kingdom. Whatever their budget and preference is, they can choose from a wide portfolio of internationally-branded hotels and are assured of high quality service at best prices.

Secondly, our expansion plans in the Kingdom reflect the growing demand for high quality hotels of international standards targeting all levels, from economy, mid-scale, upscale, and luxury market segments. As the domestic tourism industry rapidly expands, we can support that growth with our hospitality offerings.

AUGUST 2012

this year, and then in other destinations with an objective to operate a network of 15 to 20 ibis hotels in the Kingdom.

In terms of cities and regions, our priority targets are Riyadh and Jeddah, as well as the Holy Cities Mecca and Medina. In these four cities, we look forward to developing all our brands from Sofitel in the luxury segment and Pullman in the upscale segment, to Novotel and Mercure in the midscale segment and ibis in the economy segment.

Also, Adagio, our mid-market serviced apartment concept is well-tailored to cater to the long-term business guests and to the domestic leisure clientele.

In addition, we remain open to consider development opportunities in secondary cities. Mid-market brands such as Novotel and ibis are very well-adapted for such purposes, especially as these brands will gain from a regional network effect.

As a matter of fact, we currently have under development one Novotel in Jizan and one Ibis in Yanbu and are in advanced discussions for similar projects in Khobar, Jubail, and Hofuf.

Travel Trade Monthly: How does the company support the Kingdom's Saudisation initiative?

Travel Trade Monthly: Why did Accor’s choice narrow down to these cities and brands?

Christophe Landais: The Saudi hotel market is currently in a process of maturation. While most of the high-quality hotel supply had been developed so far in the five-star segment, and to a lesser extent in the fourstar segment, Accor is seeing the emergence of a real demand for other products, for instance in the economy three-star segment, which is, for the moment, only fulfilled by a local and unbranded hotel supply, most of the time lacking high-quality standards.

Accor, once again, will be a pioneer by being the first international operator to introduce its economy hotel concept; the brand ibis, in Riyadh and Yanbu

Christophe Landais: Saudisation has become a major priority for Accor in the Kingdom. Most of our hotels have already reached this year's objectives that were set up by the Saudi government. We are expecting continued success of the Saudisation project, and we are working closely and actively with the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) towards a nationalisation plan for Accor hotels in the Kingdom.

Our own training academy, ‘Tamheed’, Academie Accor in the Middle East, is geared at training ambitious Saudi nationals in the hospitality and tourism industry. It is of paramount importance to work closely with the SCTA and the Human Resources Development Fund to rightly allocate the necessary financial resources and assistance to make it happen in a timely manner.

As a matter of fact Accor is willing not only to support the Kingdom in its endeavour to solve the growing unemployment in the country but also Accor as a citizen company strongly believes that a sustainable hotel development will succeed only through the development of Saudi Nationals.

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NEWS & EVENTS

DCTM Success at ILTM Asia The Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) successfully participated, for the sixth consecutive year, at the International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM) Asia, which recently took place at the Shanghai Exhibition Centre.

The Dubai stand measured 138m2 with 25 co-participants who represented hotels and tourism companies in addition to the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs Dubai.

DTCM officials said more than 40 meetings were conducted with 470 representatives of various companies and organisations as part of the networking, marketing, and promotional measures.

According to Mohammed Al Muhairi, head, Australia and Asia, overseas promotion and inward missions department, DTCM, a workshop was conducted for the tour operators to create awareness of Dubai and its varied tourism services for business and leisure travellers.

As many as 16 companies from Dubai participated in the workshop which was attended by representatives from 110 tourism companies from China’s various regions.

China remains a growing market for the emirate which welcomed a 27 percent increase of visitors from the country in 2011, over 2010 figures, equivalent to some 194,000 tourists.

EVENTS

SITA: Airlines Invest in Mobile Apps Mobile applications are rapidly transforming the way airlines are doing business, based on the 14th annual SITA Airline IT Trends Survey.

According to the report, 93 percent of airlines place mobile services for passengers as a top investment priority over the next three years with 58 percent investing in major programmes.

Airlines are increasingly committed to mobile across the whole business with more than half of the survived carriers already selling tickets via mobile devices and by 2015, 89 percent of the airlines plan to do so. Furthermore, over the next three years, almost nine out of 10 carriers aim to have a range of services available via mobile, including flight search, check-in, boarding passes, ticket purchase, flight status notification, ancillary services, with customer complaint handling and missing baggage management following closely. In addition, nine out of 10 airlines are investing in social media. “Mobile apps are being used to improve the passenger experience, reduce operating costs and generate revenue,” drew conclusion of the survey Francesco Violante CEO, SITA. “This is the second year that mobile services for passengers top the list of investment programs and it is the adoption of mobile apps across sales, customer services and passenger processing that truly shows that airlines are committed to transformation,” Violante concluded.

Sponsored by

China Incentive, Business Travel & Meetings Exhibition (CIBTM) Beijing, China, September 12 – 14, 2012 (www.cibtm.com) A leading meetings, incentives, and business travel show providing the ultimate platform for suppliers to the MICE industry.

PATA Travel Mart Manila, Philippines, September 25 – 28, 2012 (www.pata.org/events/pata-travel-mart-2012) Asia Pacific’s premier travel trade show offering networking and contracting opportunities for hundreds of international buyers and sellers.

International French Travel Market (IFTM Top Resa) Paris, France, September 18 – 21, 2012 (www.iftm.fr) An international fair for networking, doing business, innovating, and keeping abreast of market developments, offering a 360° panorama of the travel industry.

The 18th World Route Development Forum Abu Dhabi, UAE, September 29 – October 2, 2012 www.routesonline.com/events The largest global event of its kind, attracting over 2,750 delegates from more than 80 countries, and determining the future of air services.

Africa Hotel Investment Forum Nairobi, Kenya, September 25 – 26, 2012 (www.africa-conference.com) An event showcasing the potential Kenya and other high-growth destinations across the continent have to offer.

ITB ASIA Singapore, October 3 - 5, 2012 (www.itb-asia.com) Where exhibitors across all sectors of the travel-value chain, meet with top international buyers from the MICE, leisure, and corporate travel markets.

AUGUST 2012